Twice monthly news bulletin from the Jesuit
Refugee Service International office
REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS
INDONESIA/MOLUCCAS: VIOLENCE IN AMBON FLARES AGAIN
Attacks in Ambon's Christian quarters on the night of 20 May left nine people - including two soldiers - dead and 17 people wounded. Sectarian violence between Moslems and Christians in the Moluccas, ignited in January 1999, has escalated sharply in recent weeks. According to the Amboina diocese Crisis Centre: "The recent new wave of killing Christians is considered to be carried out by professional terrorists, either Laskar Jihad or military. They use standard military outfit."
The 'Little Soya' area in Ambon, where the JRS team lives, was hard hit. The information officer of JRS Moluccas reported on 22 May: "On 20 May, at around 9.25pm, we heard two explosions. Realising there would be more, we decided to leave our house. On the way out, we saw the doors and windows were still open.
I tried to close one of the windows when a bomb exploded right under it. I rushed back to the living room and we put out all the lights. We kept silent in the dark room for around three hours, during which time four bombs exploded not far off. Suddenly, the sky became so bright. We realised our neighbours' houses were on fire. Then came heavy footsteps from the kitchen. Thank God, the people did not enter the living room. When the situation calmed down, we crept into the backyard and hurried to the street where the Christians were gathered. The following day, we returned to our house to see what had happened. We found the kitchen and windows had been damaged, and there were holes in the zinc roof and the floor. The damage was not so bad because the bombs were handmade."
BURUNDI: STORM CLOUDS GATHER
Storm clouds are gathering in Burundi as both government and rebels talk of war. The major rebel Hutu movement, Forces nationales pour la liberation (FNL), has declared it will continue fighting and the government said it has no option but to retaliate. Sources said: "All indications point to the fighting becoming much worse. Rebels are currently returning to Burundi from Congo." JRS Grands Lacs director, Joaquin Ciervide SJ, said: "Jean-David Levitte, head of the UN Security Council mission for peace in the Great Lakes, recently expressed his worries about Burundi. He made his the analysis of the International Crisis Group (ICG), which said that 4,000 Hutu rebels have entered the country from east Congo to reinforce the rebel FDD (Forces pour la defense de la democratie) and FNL in an attempt to launch civil war." The ICG said in a report earlier this month that the "limited achievements of the Arusha accord are shrivelling to nothing" and the warring parties were preparing for a major confrontation. Sources in Burundi added: "The news within the country with regard to the peace process is not good - truly only God can imagine how and when peace will arrive here. The peace talks continue but there is only very slow progress as the parties are not willing to compromise, and while there are extremist groups, there can be no peace. It is always the innocent, the women and children, who suffer."
SRI LANKA: A WAR OF NERVES
As the government and rebels in Sri Lanka inch their way towards the negotiating table in peace moves brokered by Norway, progress is hindered by muscle-flexing on both sides and renewed violence. "Both the parties in Sri Lanka have entered into a new war of nerves. Increasing international pressure is forcing the parties to crawl towards the negotiating table, but that move is being disrupted by macho talk," said JRS South Asia. "The government persists in its talk about 'curbing the Tigers', while the militant Tamil Tigers continue to press for the lifting of the ban on their organisation in Sri Lanka. Neutral observers are urging the government to lift the ban - at least on temporary basis - to facilitate peace talks."
SRI LANKA: ARRESTS AND DISAPPEARANCES IN THE NORTH
At least 31 civilians were arrested in Mannar district by the Sri Lankan security forces between January and March this year, according to the Mannar Citizen's Committee. As at 12 April, only four had been released. Apart from these arrests, three people were killed, and another three "disappeared" in January and February.
More recently, 15 people who were arrested in Vavuniya in the first two weeks of May have been reported missing, according to local Human Rights Commission sources quoted by the TamilNet news agency. The sources said that last week, another 15 people were arrested, including three youths from Poonthottam camp for internally displaced people in Vavuniya.
Sri Lanka has a long history of being governed by the Emergency Regulations and Prevention of Terrorism Act. Under these regulations, security forces and police are given wide powers for arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention without trial and torture in 'places of detention' (almost all police stations and army camps).
INDIA: NEW GOVERNMENT GREETED WITH APPREHENSION
Recent elections in Tamil Nadu province in southern India have ushered in a new government considered 'anti-refugee' when formerly in power. JRS South Asia reports: "When previously in government, the new administration was known to be anti-refugee, denying even primary education. Refugees and NGOs are now waiting with suspended animation for government moves in their regard. The outgoing government was very sympathetic to refugee education, allotting seats in professional courses." There are some 7,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in around 125 camps in Tamil Nadu.
SOUTH AFRICA: CONTROVERSIAL POLICY WITHDRAWN
The Department of Home Affairs has agreed to withdraw its controversial ''safe third country'' policy directive, reports JRS South Africa. The directive ordered border posts to turn back asylum seekers considered to have transited 'safe' neighbouring states. Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) challenged the policy in court, on the grounds that it was unconstitutional and contrary to the UN and the OAU (Organisation of African Unity) refugee conventions. The Home Affairs Minister ordered the Director-General to withdraw the policy. Paulin Mbecke, JRS advocacy officer, said: "A Home Affairs Official contacted by JRS Johannesburg pointed out that persecution could come even from an asylum country and an asylum seeker must find a secure place for himself."
UGANDA: REBEL ATTACKS TERRORISE CIVILIANS
Attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Adjumani and Gulu districts in northern Uganda are terrorising the local and refugee populations, reports JRS Uganda. A spate of attacks in March and April attributed to the rebels have claimed the lives of at least 25 people.
In Adjumani district, a settlement of Sudanese refugees was attacked on 11 May. "At around 11pm, around 15 armed men believed to be LRA rebels, attacked Maaji refugee settlement," said JRS Uganda director, Aden Raj. "According to our field coordinator, Stefano Canu, three people were killed by the rebels and seven injured, including students from primary and secondary schools." The rebels opened fire on refugees gathered at the local 'disco' (music under a tree).
Mr Raj said the security situation needed to be improved. "It is evident the rebels are terrorising the community by looting property and foodstuff and killing people," he said. "Clearly, much caution needs to be exercised with regard to field movement by NGOs and UN agencies."
On 22 May, two ambushes occurred in Gulu, one targeting an aid convoy, according to the missionary news agency, MISNA. Three people, including one soldier, were killed, and an unconfirmed number injured. "The security situation has been unpredictable for the last few months, as the intentions of the rebels remain enigmatic. There have been reports of rampant rebel movements in different parts of Gulu district," said Mr Raj. "This state of affairs has caused internally displaced Ugandans in affected areas to leave their camps for fear of their lives. There has also been a marked increase in night robberies with guns."
KENYA: "OFFICIAL BLINDNESS" TO NEEDS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED
JRS-funded research about internally displaced people in Kenya found that 90 per cent of respondents displaced by tribal land clashes feared to return home due to ongoing hostility. Land clashes directly linked to the 1992 and 1997 multi-party elections in Kenya prompted JRS to commission research to assess the situation of those displaced by the clashes and to identify warning signs of violence. The research, entitled The Current Situation of Internally Displaced Persons in Kenya, was conducted in the Rift Valley and eastern Provinces - areas badly affected by politically instigated clashes - in February.
Factors hindering the return of the displaced people include fear arising from severe tension between communities. "The feeling of fear and insecurity is heightened by the fact that the perpetrators of the violence got away with impunity," said researcher, Prisca Mbura Kamungi. The number of those still displaced could only be estimated, and was placed by the research at nearly 28,600. Poverty, unemployment, food and water shortage, poor housing and lack of education are among the problems faced by the displaced people who live in camps or settlements.
"The situation of internally displaced people in Kenya is particularly desperate because of official blindness to their needs," concluded Ms Kamungi. "The causes of displacement and obstacles to resettlement have not been adequately addressed. There is a lack of political will at the top level to resolve land disputes. It is considered in the interest of state security to deny journalists, researchers and members of the humanitarian community access to information on internally displaced people."
(The research will shortly be available on the JRS web site www.jesref.org)
KENYA: ZANZIBAR REFUGEES RETURN HOME
A total of 667 refugees who had fled the Tanzanian Zanzibar and Pemba Islands returned home from Kenya earlier this month. The refugees went to Kenya after the Tanzanian police and army used unrestrained force to clamp down on demonstrations held in late January to protest last year's allegedly flawed general election. The Tanzanian government has given assurances that upon the refugees' return to Pemba, they would not be prosecuted for their part in the January incidents. However, nearly 1,000 refugees still refuse to return for fear of being prosecuted by the government. Over 500 have been relocated from Shimoni, Mombasa, where they were living in overcrowded conditions, to Daadab camp in northeast Kenya. JRS Kenya noted that it was positive that some of the refugees had been able to return freely to their homes and families. "We hope that the others who were taken to Dadaab will one day also return home when they feel they are ready to do so," added JRS.
US: CALL FOR TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR COLOMBIANS
Over 100 organisations working with refugees and immigrants are urging the US House of Representatives to support Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Colombians. The groups have urged Representatives to endorse a letter that calls on the Bush Administration to grant Colombians TPS. More than 100,000 Colombians have fled Colombia's civil war and have sought temporary refuge in the US. Many entered the US on six-month tourist visas that have since expired, leaving them without legal status and risking deportation. Under the TPS statute, the Attorney General can designate a country for TPS if ongoing conflict there poses a serious threat to the personal safety of nationals who return. JRS USA policy associate, Jennifer Bailey, writes: "JRS USA is one of the groups supporting the granting of TPS for Colombians in the US. We believe that at this time there are not adequate guarantees of safety for Colombians who are deported from this country."
POLICY
CALL TO STOP CHILD SOLDIERING RENEWED ON ANNIVERSARY
One year after the UN adopted an international instrument that prohibits the use of anyone under the age of 18 in armed conflict, the problem persists. While 79 governments have signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, only four have ratified it. Ten ratifications are needed to bring it into force. The Optional Protocol prohibits the participation of children under 18 in hostilities and calls on states to raise the minimum age for military recruitment under 18.
Despite this landmark decision by the international community more than 300,000 children under 18 are fighting in conflicts in more than 30 countries. In just the past few days there have been reports of children fighting with the National Liberation Army in Macedonia and another other child dying after being conscripted under age into the Paraguay army. JRS encounters child soldiers in many places: Colombia, Burundi or Indonesia.
On 12 June 2001, the Coalition will publish the first ever Global report on the use of child soldiers.
JRS is part of the Steering Committee of the Coalition. Ratification of the Optional Protocol sends a clear message to the world: no longer shall children be used in battles. We urge all governments to ratify the Optional Protocol immediately.
(for more information about the Coalition and its activities access its online media kit -click on Press Pack in www. child-soldiers.org)
UPDATES FROM JRS PROJECTS WORLDWIDE
EASTERN AFRICA
TANZANIA: JRS RADIO KWIZERA DONATES RADIO SETS TO SCHOOLS.
Radio Kwizera station manager, Charles Njanga, writes: "JRS Radio Kwizera has donated a total of 50 solar powered free-play radio sets to schools in the refugee camps of Ngara and Biharamulo districts of Tanzania. Of these, 46 will be used by primary schools in the camps of Lukole, Lumasi and Kitali to monitor education broadcast programs produced and aired by Radio Kwizera. The other four radio sets will be used in the JRS pre-schools in Lukole and Lumasi refugee camps. Receiving the radio sets for the primary schools, the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) Ngara Education Officer thanked Radio Kwizera for the donation. He said the radios would be of great help to the refugee community and would boost the education standards in the camps. NPA runs the community services component in Lukole, Lumasi and Kitali camps. Radio Kwizera will also donate free-play radio sets to primary schools in the refugee camps of Kibondo district. In all, 250 free-play radio sets will be distributed to primary schools in the camps and also in local Tanzanian schools."
ASIA PACIFIC
INDONESIA/MOLUCCAS
JRS in the Moluccas continues to work with Christian child soldiers (Agas) in Ambon despite prevalent violence in the town. They report: "Together with Unicef, we are accompanying the Agas boys who are forced to guard Christian areas against Moslems. Most of the boys are undergoing traumatic experiences and are losing hope of survival.
To empower them, we are training them to produce flowerpots; some have already been sold. We are planning more income-generating and education activities for the boys. We are working on the construction of a shop to sell their products and also to give them somewhere to live."
TIMOR: A MEETING FOR RECONCILIATION
East Timorese refugees in camps in West Timor were reconciled with relatives from Viqueque, East Timor in an encounter facilitated by JRS representatives from the East and West Timor teams. The meeting took place in Motaain border on 18 May. JRS West Timor reports: "Although the people differed in their views about the status of East Timor and had been separated for 19 months, they still wanted to meet each other to be reconciled. They agreed to forget the past, not to take revenge and to build a new nation together in East Timor. The refugees will spread the news about the outcome of the meeting in the camps and the East Timorese who came from Viqueque will guarantee the security of refugees who want to return to East Timor." There were five people from the West Timor camps and six from Dilor and another village in Lacluta, subdistrict of Viqueque.
ECUADOR: The JRS team recently participated in an international meeting on "the effects of militarisation in the border areas", where it met organisations working with refugees and protecting their rights.
PANAMA: Incursions of Colombian armed groups (guerrillas and paramilitary groups) in the border area of Darien are generating tensions among the population and a drop in production. The JRS team is working on capacity-building towards the development of income-generating activities.
VENEZUELA: JRS and other NGOs are working on an Asylum Law with the Commission of Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly.
COLOMBIA: JRS is strengthening its human resources and its structure despite many difficulties. There are now five teams in the camps. The aim is to have a significant presence at a national level.
REFLECTION
BURUNDI: Meg Hicks, who works in the JRS dispensary in Munanira, writes: "Work in the maternity ward continues to be busy. The effect of malaria is quite marked - the women arrive with threatened premature labour, or in premature labour (well established) or with a spontaneous abortion. At one stage in February, we had seven premature babes to care for - of those five went home and two went to heaven. The littlest of those was a story in itself - little Judeo arrived at 700 grams - I did not expect him to live because he was so small and only 29 weeks. Ten minutes after his arrival, he was crying, active and pink. Two hours after his arrival, he continued in good form with no signs of respiratory distress, so on talking it through with his mother, we decided to give him a chance with tube feeds, treatment for malaria and basic care. Each day was a little miracle. We watched him grow for three weeks, he was 1kg at three weeks of age; but then he succumbed to the malaria. He was still positive for malaria after three weeks of intra-muscular quinine - he just couldn't fight that level of resistance of the parasite. I think if it hadn't been for the malaria, he would have grown up enough to go home.
Truly the malaria is a big problem here in Burundi, with many people dying with the disease - the severity of the disease, the increasing resistance of the parasite to quinine, and the fact that many people have inadequate access or treatment for the disease. One of our workers lost two children within the space of a month with malarial complications. It really shocked and saddened all of us."
RECRUITMENT UPDATE - Bema Solis FI informs of the following vacancies in JRS posts
- East Timor Country Director
- Education Coordinator (Mai Hong Son, Thailand
- Ethiopia Country Director
- Pedro Arrupe Tutor (Univ. of Deusto, Bilbao)
For full details about these job opportunities, write to bema.solis@jesref.org or fax +39-06 6879283.
JRS DISPATCHES is from the International Office of Jesuit Refugee Service, CP 6139, 00195 Roma Prati, Italy. Tel: +39-06 689.77.391; Fax: +39-06 687.92.83; Email: dispatches@jesref.org; JRS on-line: http://www.jesref.org; Publisher: Lluis Magrina SJ; Editor: Danielle Vella; Translation: Edith Castel (French), JRS Centro Astalli (Italian), Nieves Delgado (Spanish)